Skinny Kelpie: 1 Fat Rat:0

[Neal 1,932]

I've had an ongoing (though off and on) rat problem since moving to my present home nearly ten years ago. This has been due to previously owning bantams; a disused convent behind my house; the demolition of the aforementioned convent and subsequent building of a new housing estate and feeding the birds.

 

It's come to the stage, on several occasions, that I've stopped feeding wild birds for several months at a time. Anyway, on Monday I found a bird-feeding station dumped in my local wood while taking the kelpies for their morning walk. It was one of those tall pole ones which looks like four shepherds' crooks tied together and I figured that it may be rat proof as they may not be able to climb up it so I brought it home. However, although no rats climbed up it, I thought I spotted one feeding on the debris at the bottom when I put the kelpies out that night. As I wasn't sure I decided to put the fat balls away in the shed overnight and try again the following day.

 

Day two came and went and I saw no more sign of the rat but still put the fat ball feeders away in the shed overnight. On the morning of day three, Scout (my tiny 18" and 26lb kelpie bitch) became very excited when passing the shed. There was definitely a noise coming from inside but I couldn't make anything out through the windows. I opened the top half of the stable-door and Scout popped over and immediately marked under the table towards my (unset) live catch trap which had been placed over a previous rat hole that I'd never got round to fixing. I also noticed that the trap had been pushed out and that one of the feeders, which had held about half a dozen fat balls, was now on the floor and empty.

 

I then spotted a pair of legs sticking up in the air; though my view was obscured by the trap and a tool box. I assumed the rat was being a clever sod and was waiting half in and half out of the exit hole waiting for my next move so he could decide whether to run for it or sneak back in so was considering positioning Noggin (the pup who's not met a rat in battle yet) outside the shed with Scout inside when the penny dropped...

 

...the greedy b*st*rd had eaten so much he was stuck in his own escape route!

 

So I simply moved the tool box and trap and Scout grabbed a firm hold and pulled him out like a cork from a bottle...I almost expected a popping sound.

 

She's taken a few rats in her eight years but this fat thing was definitely her easiest but most hilarious.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Neal